Surfacing machine



SURFACING MACHINE Filed Dec. 6. 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet l 20 G 25 I 2i 18 D 14 .13 j? (5 t. 7 24 'I i 8 i: 16 it I. II F 39 P3. iii? .5

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5 I I I I: fl I l l I H O 26 i0 o I 41 a .1 61 a g/ l. a'iiiiii-z'iifgf-j-z 1 135-21. m' 17 5 F1 8 3'7 36 I INVENTOR5 N 1931- J. H. Fox ET AL SURFACING MACHINE 6, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed D80 INVENTORS 24 Nov. 24, 1931. j J..H. FQX ET AL V n 1,

SURFACING MACHINE sued Dec. 6. 192's 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 i s I I Z i L Patented Nov. 24, 1931 TUNITED STATES JOHN a. Fox Ann WILLIAM OWEN, or PITTSBURGH, risinnsYLvANIA, assrenons TO i uPITTSBURGH rLA'rE GLASS COMPANY, a oonronarion or PENNSYLVANIA PATENT, OFFICE" SURFACING MACHINE Application. filed December a, 1929. Serial No. 412,209.

The invention relates to surfacing machines for use in straight away grinding and polishin'g, being particularly designed for use 111 surfacing plate glass, but not limited to use in such connection. It has for its objects the provision of a machine, which will give a uniform surfacing action over the faces of the glass sheets carried beneath it by the tables,

which has its surfacing unit so constructed and arranged that it may be'expeditiously re moved and replaced with a minimum loss of time, and which will operate satisfactorily to surfacesheets of glass of as great a dimension in Width as it is practicable to handle in a straight away grinding and polishing operation. v Certain embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein: q

Figure 1 is a side elevation. Fig. 2 is asection on the line II'-II'of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a section on the line III III of Fig. 2 on an enlarged scale. Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic plan view showing the means for driving the work spindles. Fig. 5 is a view similar to that of Fig.4, but showing a modification. And Fig.

6 is a detail side elevation View partially in section showing the use of a polishing block on one of the work spindles instead of the grinding discs shown in Fig; 3.

i he glass sheets 1 which are to be surfaced are mounted upon a series of tables 2 which constitute an endless train and move beneath a series ofgrindingand polishing machines similar to'that shown in Figs. 1 to 4; The tables are mounted upon the tracks 3 and are moved slowly therealong by any suitable power means, such as spur gears driven from motors and engaging racks 4 carried by the bottoms of the table's. The tablesare carried upon a suitable foundation made up of com: mercial sections and provided with drainage troughs 5 for receiving the mixture of waste water and abrasive which flows from the tables. Extending alongside the track 3 is a of trunnions 12 engaged by the end of the lever 13. The lever 13 takes the weight of the unit and is pivotally supported at 14 upon the casting 10. The lever 13 is provided at its v end with a connecting rod made up of the parts, 14 and 15 wit-h a spring 16under com pression therebetween so-that the surfacing unit carried by thelever is yieldingly supported and counterbalanced. The rod 1 5-con stituting the lower part of, the connecting rod is screw-threaded ,and extends through ;-a bracket 16? carried byjthe beam 9, the end of such rod being threaded andengaged by a nut swivelled in the bracket. This nut is rotated from thehandwheel 17 to regulate the ver tical positlon of the surfacing unit and in this way adjust-the pressure exerted by. the surfacing runners upon the glass. 1 This construction for coupterbalancing a surfacing unit is Well-known in the art being shown and dc scribed in the patent to A. L. Harrington, No. 1,671,718, so that a detailed showing of this structure is unnecessary, and it .will be understood that any suitable counterbalanciiig means may be employed for the lever 13,1so that such-arm may be regulated in position and resiliently held. When it is desired to lift the unit. quickly from the table, the airlift cylinder 18 is employed, such cylinder being provided with a piston whose plunger 19. is also pivotally connected to the end of-the lever 13. The piston is operated from the air reservoir 20 connected to the cylinder'18 by means of the pipe 21. This is also a construction well-known in the art for which n claim is made in'this application.

' The sleeve 11 carries the drive shaft 22 which is ournalled in the sleeve and driven from the el'ectric motor'23. This motor. is seated upon .a casing 24 which is in turn supported upon the upper end of the sleeve 11, The motor drives the shaft 22 through the intermediary of suitable reduction gear-.

ing in the casings 24 and 25. At the lower end of the'sleeve 11 is the gear casing 26 in which are mounted a series of six" work spindles 27, 28,29,230, 31 and 32carrying at their; lower endsthe grinding discs 33, 34,35, 36, 37;a'nd 38. Theseispindles are preferably hollow as arealso the grinding end 42 of the lower end of the sleeve 11;.

The connection at this point is a loose one so that the weight of the'sleeve ll'an-d parts carried thereby is not imposed upon the gear casing. The connection'comes into play in lifting the gear casing to cause the grinding disc to clear the glass therebeneath. A "flex ible cap 43, preferably of rubber, serves to close-the space between the cap 41 and the lower end of the sleeve 11 and prevent the entrance ofdirt or abrasive. The sleeve 44 is journalled in the central portion of the gear casing by means of thei'oller bearings 45, 45' and receives the lower end of the driving shaft 22. The end 46 of the shaft'which lies in the sleeve has a sliding and rocking tumbler fit therewith so that a proper driving connection is provided as the gear cas ing moves back and forth transverselyof the line of movement of the table therebeneath,

as later described. Each of the work spin} dles 27 to 32 is provided with a sprocket47 and around these sprockets and the sleeve 44' passes a driving chain 48, the position of such chain with respect to the sprockets being shown in diagrammatic View, Fig. 4. This chain also passes around a sprocket 49 (Figs. 3 and 4) and across one side of a take-up sprocket '50 shown only diagrammatically in Fig. 4. The take-up sprocket andits adjustment may be of any approved form well-known in the art and no detailed showing of such construction is, therefore,

' included in-the drawings. The sprocket 49 is provided with a shaft 51 having at its upper end the worm 52. This worm engages a worm wheel 53 on the shaft 54, the parts 52, 53 and 54 all being carried by a suitable casing 55 bolted to the top of the casing 26.- The shaft 54 extends out through the sides of the casing 55 and is provided with a pair of cranks 56 having crank pins 57 (Fig. 2). These crank pins are engaged by the forked end of a connecting rod 58 whose other end is pivoted to a bracket .59 carried by the vertical frame member 21 This provides a means for moving the casing'26 back and forth across the line of movement of the table, as such table moves along beneath the surfacing machine. The tumbler connection between the lower end of the shaft 21 and the sleeve 44 permits this back and forth movementv and provides adrive for the gearing carried by the casing 26 and for the cranks 56 by means of which the transverse movement of the grinding unit with respect to the table is secured. The gear casing 26 is guided in its back and forth movement by means of a pair of. guide bars 60, 60 (Fig. 2) extending transversely of the framework of the machine. The'unit may be removed bodily from its position over the table by means of an overhead cranewhichlifts the trunnions 12 from the end of the lever 13, the crank pins 57 being at this time removed in order to release the connection of theunit with the connecting rod 58. With this arrangement little time is lost in making re-' placements and repairs, as the. unit may be removed bodily and a spare unit placed upon the lever 13 while repairs or replacements are being made upon the unit which is removed. l 7

Fig. 5 illustrates a modification inwhic h spur gears are substituted for the chain and sprocket drive of the work spindles. Here the sleeve 44 carries a spur gear ti'l which meshes with spur gears 62, 63 on the spindies 28 and'31. The spindles 27 and 29 are driven from the idler pinions 64 and 6.5. which mesh with'the gear 62, and the'gears 66 and 67 carried by the spindles27 and 29. The spindles 30 and .32 are driven'through similar trains of gearing. The shaft '51 which operates the cranks 56' is driven from the gear 68 which meshes with the pinions 65 and 69'. Various other means might be employed for driving the -work spindles which may be rotated either in the same direction or part in one direction and part in another, depending upon conditions andre quirements. V

Fig. 6 illustrates the application of a pol ishing block to one of the work spindles, such 1 as the spindle 32, in place of the grinding. disc shown in Fig. 3. This polishing block may be of any desired design, but-as shown comprises a plate 70 to whose lower'face is secured a sheet of felt 71 held in place'by means 'of the ring'72 which extends over the corners of the felt. the section of Fig; 6 be? ing taken in a plane between such corners. The spindle is mounted in the casing 26- and driven'as heretofore described in connection with Figs, 1 to 4'.

Whatwe claim is: V I I v 1. In combination in .a surfacing machine; a work table mounted for right line movement, a framework alongside thetable, a sur facing unit comprising a vertical sleeve mounted on the framework for swinging movement back and forth across the line of movement of the table and counterbalanced, a vertical shaft journalled inthe sleeve, "a

motor and'driving connections for the shaft I mounted upon the upper'end of the sleeve, a gear casing having a rocking connection with the lower end of the sleeve, a plurality of work spindles extending vertically through the casing, a surfacing disc carried by each spindle, a driving member in the casing in alignment with the drive shaft having a universal connection therewith, driving connections in the casing between said member and the spindles, and means for moving the casing back and forth across the line of movement of the table.

2. In combination in a surfacing machine, a work table mounted for right line movement, a framework alongside the table, a surfacing unit comprising a vertical sleeve mounted on the framework for swinging movement back and forth across the line of movement of the table and counterbalanced, a vertical shaft journalled in the sleeve, a motor and driving connections for the shaft mounted upon the upper end of the sleeve, a gear casing having lost motion rocking, 0on nection with the lower end of the sleeve, a plurality of work spindles extending vertically through the casing, a surfacing disc carried by each spindle, a driving member in the casing in alignment with the drive shaft having a universal slip connection therewith, driving connections between said member and the spindles, and means for moving the casing back and forth across the line of movement of the table. I

3. In combination in a surfacing machine, a work table mounted for right line movement, a framework alongside the table, a surfacing unit comprising a vertical sleeve mounted on the framework for swinging movement back and forth across the line of movement of the table and counterbalanced, a vertical shaft journalled in the sleeve, a motor and driving connections for the shaft mounted upon the upper end of the sleeve, a gear casing having a rocking connection with the lower end of the sleeve, a plurality of work spindles extending vertically by each spindle, a driving member in the casing in alignment with the drive shaft having a universal connection therewith, V V a through the casing, a surfacing disc carried by each spindle, a driving member in the casing in alignment with the drive shaft having a universal connection therewith, driving connections in the casing between said member and the spindles, and means driven from said driving connections for moving the casing back and forth across the line of movement of the table.

4. In combination in a surfacing machine, a work table mounted for right line movement, a framework alongside the table, a surfacing unit comprising a vertical sleeve mounted on the framework for swinging movement back and forth across the line of movement of the table and counterbalanced,

a vertical shaft journalled in the sleeve, a 7

motor and driving connections for the shaft mounted upon the upper end of the sleeve, a gear casing having a rocking connection with the lower end of the sleeve, a plurality of work spindles extending vertically through the casing, a surfacing disc carried 

